Mayoral Message - May/June 2025
Published on 08 July 2025
It's been a very busy few months and welcome to my autumn Mayoral update.
Pictured: Mayor Jasmin Jones (Centre) and Marcayla Stoop (second from left) with the team at NAIDOC celebrations at Berinba Public School.
The Importance of Face-to-Face Meetings
Firstly, I would like to start by acknowledging that our meetings over the past few weeks have truly reinforced the value of village and town hall meetings for me.
As good as technology is, nothing can replace meeting people face to face to get to the crux of local problems - particularly before setting budgets and delivery plans or taking local issues to state and national arenas. It’s the village support you see behind a Community Association leader raising a concern. It’s the conversations over a cuppa where you find a link to another community issue - such as heading to Wee Jasper to talk about Council’s budget and ending up with a 2003 Country Fire Association map showing historical fire paths, highlighting the risk of putting kilometres of proposed turbines in bushfire prone land flanking Yass Valley and the ACT.
NAIDOC Celebrations
A significant highlight this month has been taking part in the NAIDOC celebrations. It was truly memorable to join our local Elders, knowledge holders, school children, and pre-schoolers from Wee Jasper and Yass to mark the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Week. We had inspired storytelling, painting, weaving, spear throwing, and food tasting sessions at Berinba Public School. The Yass Soldiers’ Memorial Hall was a hub of activity as we gave thought and energy to the themes of Strength, Vision and Legacy, and what that could look like for our community as we honour past achievements, encourage our indigenous youth to give voice to their vision and create a shared legacy together.
Pictured: NAIDOC opening ceremony on Monday 7 July outside Soldiers Memorial Hall, Yass.
I am looking forward to Council working collaboratively with our First Nations community and Ngunnawal Elders to build on this in the years ahead. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to making these days so special.
Mondays with the Mayor and Deputy
Kristin and I are finding our ‘Mondays with the Mayor and Deputy’ meetings incredibly valuable. They are a fantastic way to hear directly from residents and local organisations about their ideas and concerns. For instance, a recent visit from Yass Landcare representatives helped us to understand their problem and we formalised access to town water, ensuring they can continue their vital work of nurturing thousands of native tree tube stock each year for barren farm paddocks, helping our environment and farmers.
Meetings with Premier and Cabinet Ministers
As part of the Canberra Region Joint Organisation (CRJO) of Councils, CEO Gayleen Burley and I attended NSW Parliament House to meet with Ministers and Shadow portfolio MPs. I am grateful to the CRJO for giving me the floor with the Premier to advocate for ongoing TransGrid HumeLink legacy community enhancement funds for the life of the project, not just during construction. This would recognise the five council regions hosting the massive transmission lines in perpetuity. If successful, this could leverage $500,000 annually to invest in Yass Valley.
It was also a chance to champion ‘drought as a natural disaster’ to trigger fodder and freight relief funding for our farmers. I raised with Emergency Management Minister, Jihad Dib, why councils should be given access to emergency alert systems that are currently under development – useful for events such as Boil Water Alerts.
During the Country Mayors Association meetings in Orange and Sydney, I met with Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison. I emphasised our critical need to be recognised as a strategic transport centre in TfNSW plans, which would help trigger further funding packages for duplication of the Barton Highway. I highlighted the need for Murrumbateman and Sutton bypasses, and a sensible solution for Binalong traffic management. I also championed expanded health services, including our much-needed maternity care, to NSW Health Minister, Ryan Park.
At the recent National General Assembly of Councils in Canberra, Deputy Mayor Kristin Butler, Clr Al Charry, CEO Gayleen Burley, and I, attended forums to advocate for our local issues to national leaders. It was also a great opportunity to learn about the strengths and struggles of other councils, as well as emerging issues, solutions, and technologies.
As our region grows, advocacy has been a key focus. This past month, I've spoken out against proposed unfair cuts to our 511 Fire Brigade (loss of a 4WD CAFS vehicle), the loss of a police officer position, and the need for Yass Police Station upgrades.
Pictured: Jasmin Jones advocating for Yass Valley at the National General Assembly of Councils
Yass Police Station Visit
CEO Gayleen Burley and I also visited the Yass Police Station to understand the pressing need for a sympathetic redevelopment of their heritage building. This will ensure it's fit for purpose to serve our community into the future, given our projected population growth, while providing a safe work environment for our local officers. I am actively advocating for support for this project from the NSW Police Minister and Wendy Tuckerman, our local member.
Green Drought & Our Local Economy
While our town water supply has peaked, our local farmers are experiencing a ‘green drought.’ Our rain has been a little too late and temperatures are now too cold for meaningful pasture growth. Yass Valley has been listed as drought-affected since May 2024, and Council supported a Mayoral Minute calling on State and Federal Governments to reinstate drought as a natural disaster.
To that end, I am working with other regional Mayors and peak bodies to advocate for fodder and freight aid, and to muster a drought summit to highlight the dire situation. Our farmers' mental health and resilience are being challenged as they face tough decisions about destocking or incurring significant debt to continue hand-feeding animals through another winter with soaring feed prices. This has ripple effects on our local businesses, as farmers are spending all their resources on feed.
Please remember to shop local and consider every purchase, from a haircut to a car service, as an opportunity to support our local economy. We are all ambassadors for Yass Valley. I was recently at a national event and was delighted to receive glowing feedback about the welcoming and prompt service from the young staff at our local cafes.
Turbine Turmoil
Council has provided a ‘flag to rally’ as several of our village communities combat renewable energy project saturation. A recent Mayoral Minute and Council Motion calls for more stringent assessment criteria from State Government around renewable energy projects to protect our village communities of Bowning, Binalong, Bookham, Burrinjuck, and Wee Jasper.
Yass Valley has already contributed significantly to renewable energy - with solar to offset electricity costs at the sewage treatment works, and several state-significant solar and turbine projects already approved or under construction. Yass Valley Council has a Renewable Energy Development Policy (reference SP-POL-7) that outlines its position on large-scale renewable energy projects, particularly wind farms. Our position is that while generally supportive of renewable energy, our Council area has reached its maximum number of industrial wind turbine sites and opposes further large-scale wind turbine developments in principle.
Community action groups are forming. Legitimate concerns are being raised about the impact, inappropriate location near residents, and the sheer number of turbine and BESS projects trying to establish themselves in Yass Valley - despite our non-REZ-zone status. The Bendenine proposal for 90 x 260-metre-tall turbines between Bowning and Binalong could also affect Yass Valley’s international space sector. Local company Cingulan Space has been anchoring space communications and tracking satellites for nearly a decade in the unique dark skies and low EMI environment of the Yass Valley.
A recent community meeting in Bowning had standing room only - with 140 residents attending to learn more about the wind turbine project and raise objections. I have corresponded with the NSW Planning Department and key State and Federal Ministers, and will be meeting with Energy Commissioner Tony Maher in Yass next month.
Integrated Planning and Reporting Roadshows (IP&R) to Yass and Our Villages
During May and June, Council undertook public consultation with a number of roadshows in Yass and our villages to share and discuss our suite of IP&R documents. Council is taking a number of steps to get our finances back on track and is actively working towards financial sustainability. We've put in considerable effort to create a realistic budget for the coming year, adopted a four-year Delivery Program, plus developed a ten-year Long Term Financial Plan and a Financial Sustainability Roadmap (which is currently on Public Consultation until 23 July – Have your Say!). All IP&R documents and the Financial Sustainability Roadmap are available on the Council’s website.
We now have a full complement of staff in our finance team including our permanent Chief Financial Officer. Council now receives regular financial reporting and advice to inform their decision making on short and long-term resource requirements for Council. I am confident that we have developed a positive pathway to financial sustainability.
It was encouraging to see so many residents join us at the village halls for our IP&R roadshows. They listened, asked questions, and offered insight and practical suggestions. At these events, the CEO, Directors, Chief Financial Officer, and Councillors were available for questions and comments, with project highlights for each town and village presented. We also clearly projected the Council's long-term financial sustainability challenges if no action is taken to alter course.
Rates have been set for the next year in line and have increased by 4.1% in line with IPART rate capping limitations. Council is ensuring we are as efficient as possible, as any special rate variation will need to be part of the community conversation. Council has not delivered a surplus budget for consecutive terms and our Financial Sustainability Roadmap outlines the necessary steps we need to consider going forward.
The Council is committed to being more open and transparent about our current financial situation and where we need to be. The feedback we are receiving now reflects greater trust in the Council, which is heartening.
Crago Mill Precinct
The Crago Mill project is progressing well and is on budget, with our administration and library staff expected to move in by October. This is an essential and welcome move - as much of the current Council administration building is not a fit-for-purpose working environment. Our precinct partners include the Yass Valley Business Chamber, Onerwal LALC, and the Local Emergency Management Command Officer (LEMCOM) through Yass Police. These partnerships are enabling us to deliver a culturally appropriate, economically dynamic precinct that will build resilience within our community by providing a climate-event refuge for residents and a 24/7 independently powered command centre in case of a natural disaster. Council will learn later in the year if our Regional Precinct Partners Federal grant application for $25 million has made the shortlist.
Council has also committed to a review of Crago Mill Stage 2 – the transformation of the disused heritage Mill into an income-generating café, gallery/keeping place, along with a commercial building with lease-paying tenants.
Council has also agreed to establish a new, temporary Executive Services team for two years. This team will focus on delivering business improvement initiatives, maximising returns from Council’s commercial properties, and undertaking in-depth reviews of complex funding programs and contracts. They will also be responsible for evaluating progress and ensuring we stay on track with the Financial Sustainability Roadmap.
Pictured: YVC Staff and Councillors inspect the inside of the Crago Mill Precinct.
Water News
We have now installed a new $100K Super-Titan water pump, increasing our raw water pumping capacity to 165 litres per second. This is a vital upgrade and enhances our system ahead of the plant upgrade - the early design phase is already underway. The Water Treatment Plant upgrade is fully funded through the Labor State and National Governments’ commitment of $38 million and is expected to be complete by 2028. After the recent rain, Yass Dam is currently spilling over, holding its maximum capacity of 2400 ML - which is an eight-month supply for Yass, Murrumbateman, Binalong, and Bowning.
Birtles Family Recognised by Springfield RFS
It was an honour to attend a celebratory afternoon tea to recognise the Birtles family for 45 years of collective service to the NSW RFS - Springfield Brigade and our local community. Grace, Terry, their children Kate, Suzie, Jenny, David, and granddaughter Lucy were all there, along with neighbours and RFS volunteers. The Birtles are about to move from the area and have generously dedicated their land that houses the Springfield fire shed to Council. This ensures our community's continued resilience against fire threats, and Council is incredibly grateful for their service, community spirit, and generous gift.
Pictured: Springfield RFS and Mayor Jasmin Jones mark the generousity of the Birtles family at the Springfield RFS Shed.
Official Opening of the Red Cross Conference in Bookham
I had the privilege of officially opening the Australian Red Cross Zone 19 Conference in Bookham, chaired by Noeleen Hazell. Having worked for the Red Cross in Western Australia, I was especially delighted to hear guest speaker Danielle Sweetman's story, as she also began her Red Cross journey in WA. Danielle is now the Manager of NSW & ACT Community Mobilisation & Business Operations. We also heard from Ussama Abuassa, the ACT Migration Support Program Lead, about the important work being done weekly to help settle refugees and assist them with housing, English language classes, and employment. Our beloved local choral group, Maisies Choir, was truly inspirational and I thoroughly enjoyed the company of Red Cross members from the Junee, Cootamundra, Yass, and Bookham-Berremangra branches. The cuppa and scones were top notch - thank you for having me!
Yuma Coffee Catch Up
I want to extend my gratitude to the Elders, knowledge holders, and supporting families who attended the first Yass Valley Council Yuma Coffee catch-up with me and our CEO, Gayleen. It was a privilege to spend time with you, learn about your interests, families, and stories, and discuss local issues, concerns, and opportunities that would benefit from traditional custodian input.
I’d like to give a special shout-out to our Elders who, as part of the Winanggaay Language group, are helping Council create a list of meeting room name suggestions for the Crago Mill Precinct. The time and effort contributed by our First Nations community member volunteers are deeply appreciated. I look forward to our next Yuma catch-up, where I hope to meet even more of our elders and families.
Looking ahead
Looking forward, I would like to encourage our local families to check out Council’s winter school holiday program of events including my personal favourite: Waste-To-Art – a creative workshop for all ages, where you can up-cycle provided materials into amazing art at Yass Valley Library on July 10.
Our Australia Day nominations have also opened on our website, so if you know a worthy citizen or organisation, please be sure to consider nominating them for some deserved recognition.
Jasmin Jones
Mayor Yass Valley